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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 124 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spring — the season
  3. pitch — completely
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. season — in sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. key — the most important part
  9. land — ground
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. land — to come down
  14. season — of the year
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chest — of your body
  21. key — in music
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fine — all right
  24. key — for a lock

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