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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. current — happening now
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — to come down
  15. content — happy
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. game — a match
  22. land — ground
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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