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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. land — to come down
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. club — for dancing
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. game — wild animals
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. march — the month
  12. snap — to click
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. march — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. club — for golf
  21. land — ground
  22. march — the month
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. club — a group

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