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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. land — to come down
  6. ground — the earth
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. roll — a cake
  10. degree — an amount
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. land — ground
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. branch — a division
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. roll — a list

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