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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. land — ground
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. land — to come down
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. squash — the sport
  15. field — for sport
  16. object — to protest
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cold — an illness
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. squash — to crush

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