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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. kick — in football
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. land — to come down
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bulb — for light
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — to crush

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