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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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. can — to be able to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. club — a group
  11. can — a tin
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rule — government
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rule — a law
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. land — ground
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. club — for golf
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. calf — a young animal

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