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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. clip — for paper
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. clip — a video
  8. track — to keep track
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. roll — a list
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. land — ground
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. charge — a price
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. charge — electricity
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lean — thin
  22. roll — a cake
  23. charge — in control
  24. land — to come down

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