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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. current — electric
  3. cue — a hint
  4. present — there
  5. ground — crushed
  6. current — of water
  7. bear — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. ground — a position
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. current — happening now
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — ground
  18. wound — an injury
  19. present — the time now
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. land — to come down
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bear — the animal

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