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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ground — crushed
  3. lean — to bend
  4. ground — a position
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. fall — to drop
  8. race — humankind
  9. land — to come down
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lean — thin
  15. land — ground
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rash — a series
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. race — a contest
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. race — the arms race

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