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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rash — a series
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. land — to come down
  6. mug — a cup
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — ground
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. field — farmland
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. field — for sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tube — a container
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mug — a face
  23. field — a subject
  24. rock — music

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