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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 124 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. board — a committee
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rush — hurry
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rule — government
  9. board — to get on
  10. land — to come down
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. chest — a box
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. land — ground
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rule — a law
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mark — a trace

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