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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. land — a country
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mark — a trace
  6. row — a line
  7. land — to come down
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. last — final
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. mark — a grade
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — finally
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ground — a position
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. last — to go on
  23. land — ground
  24. row — a quarrel

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