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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. deal — to handle
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. land — to come down
  5. ground — a position
  6. fine — all right
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. row — a line
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. saw — the tool
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. land — ground
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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