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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wake — a trail
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ground — crushed
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. land — ground
  11. ground — a position
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ground — the earth
  16. land — to come down
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. land — a country
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mine — belonging to me

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