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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — the month
  5. ball — a dance
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — a break
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. land — to come down
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. march — music
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cap — a hat

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