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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pop — to visit
  4. kid — child
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pop — music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rule — a law
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. land — to come down
  16. last — finally
  17. rule — government
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pop — soda
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. land — ground

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