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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. root — of a word
  3. row — to paddle
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pop — soda
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — ground
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rest — a break
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. root — of a plant
  17. scale — size or range
  18. root — the cause
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. land — to come down
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. row — a line
  24. scale — in 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