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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bat — the animal
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. can — to be able to
  6. land — to come down
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. can — a tin
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. file — a tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. land — ground
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. stand — to bear
  23. can — a tin
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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