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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — ground
  6. kick — in football
  7. court — of a king
  8. land — to come down
  9. club — a group
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of law
  14. spell — magic
  15. club — for golf
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. court — for sport
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. spell — letters

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