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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. track — a song
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. track — a path
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wake — a trail
  8. current — happening now
  9. track — to keep track
  10. current — electric
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. land — ground
  15. current — of water
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — to come down
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bowl — a football final

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