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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fine — all right
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. track — a path
  5. fine — high quality
  6. track — to keep track
  7. dip — to sink
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rest — a break
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. track — a song
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rest — what's left
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rest — what's left
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. land — ground
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. deal — to handle
  24. land — to come down

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