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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. land — ground
  17. net — for catching
  18. content — the amount
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. content — happy

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