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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mark — a grade
  4. kid — child
  5. can — to be able to
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. row — a line
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. can — a tin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. can — a tin
  18. mark — a trace
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wax — for sculpting

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