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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 116 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. land — a country
  3. content — the amount
  4. ground — the earth
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. land — to come down
  12. shower — rain
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. land — ground
  15. content — happy
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hand — in cards
  18. shower — to wash
  19. ground — a position
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ground — crushed

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