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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lie — to recline
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pass — a permit
  6. land — ground
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. craft — boats
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mark — a trace
  20. land — to come down
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tube — a container
  23. mark — a grade
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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