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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. last — to go on
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. last — finally
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. land — ground
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. land — to come down
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. last — final
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wake — a trail

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