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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. deal — an agreement
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — government
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wound — an injury
  13. current — happening now
  14. rule — a law
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — electric
  20. land — ground
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. current — of water
  23. ground — a position
  24. deal — a big deal

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