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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. pop — soda
  5. last — final
  6. board — a committee
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. club — for golf
  10. board — to get on
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. club — a group
  16. land — to come down
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. lean — to bend
  21. club — for dancing
  22. land — ground
  23. lean — thin
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com