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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. land — to come down
  4. track — a path
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. track — to keep track
  7. tube — the underground
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tube — a container
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — ground
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. track — a song
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. temple — side of the head

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