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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. race — humankind
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pass — a permit
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. chest — a box
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bore — to drill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. race — a contest
  19. chest — of your body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. scale — in music
  23. race — the arms race
  24. land — ground

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