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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. capital — money
  6. ground — crushed
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. drill — army training
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. capital — a city
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fine — all right
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. fine — high quality
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ground — a position
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bowl — a dish

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