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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. present — a gift
  3. sharp — clever
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. present — there
  6. spell — magic
  7. bat — the animal
  8. land — ground
  9. present — the time now
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spell — a short time
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. spell — letters
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. land — to come down
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bat — in an idiom

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