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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — ground
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bank — for money
  5. land — a country
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — a subject
  11. land — to come down
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. content — happy
  14. field — farmland
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bank — of a river
  20. field — for sport
  21. rule — a law
  22. content — the amount
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — videos and posts

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