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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. land — ground
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — hurry
  6. land — a country
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rest — a break
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. drill — army training
  16. land — to come down
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mine — for digging
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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