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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. land — ground
  4. deal — to handle
  5. march — the month
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. land — to come down
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. last — to go on
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. march — music
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. march — the month
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. last — finally
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. last — final

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