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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. content — the amount
  5. club — for golf
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. tear — to rip
  11. content — happy
  12. wound — an injury
  13. land — ground
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. land — to come down
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. foot — a measure
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. deal — an agreement

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