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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. land — to come down
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. game — a match
  8. present — the time now
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spell — magic
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ground — a position
  13. spell — a short time
  14. foot — a measure
  15. spell — letters
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ground — the earth
  19. game — wild animals
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. land — ground
  23. ground — crushed
  24. deal — a big deal

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