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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cap — a lid
  3. object — an aim
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — of a plant
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. cap — of ice
  15. land — to come down
  16. object — a thing
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. object — to protest
  22. field — farmland
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. land — ground

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