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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. row — to paddle
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. race — a contest
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. row — a line
  7. shower — rain
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. race — the arms race
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. land — to come down
  16. fall — the season
  17. race — humankind
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. fall — to drop
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. dip — to sink
  23. shower — to wash
  24. land — ground

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