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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pit — a hole
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. land — to come down
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rash — a series
  16. hand — help
  17. pit — in a race
  18. land — ground
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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