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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bass — the fish
  4. land — to come down
  5. game — a match
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. track — a song
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bass — low music
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — to tease
  16. land — ground
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. track — a path
  21. kid — child
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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