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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 116 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. squash — the sport
  3. land — ground
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. march — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. march — the month
  10. mug — a face
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — to rob
  13. charge — a price
  14. tear — to rip
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mug — a cup
  19. land — to come down
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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