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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spring — of water
  3. ball — a dance
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. tube — a container
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. ball — a great time
  9. game — wild animals
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. land — to come down
  15. plane — a tool
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. land — ground
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — the season
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spring — a coil
  23. game — a match
  24. fan — a supporter

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