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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fork — in a road
  6. land — to come down
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. content — happy
  10. rest — a break
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. content — the amount
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. land — ground
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pit — a hole

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