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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 120 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'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. cue — a hint
  3. rest — what's left
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — ground
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cue — for pool
  20. key — for a lock
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rest — a break
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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