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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bass — the fish
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. scale — in music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. row — to paddle
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. mate — a friend
  10. land — ground
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. scale — size or range
  16. land — to come down
  17. row — a line
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bass — low music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — to go on
  22. mate — a partner
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. dip — a sauce

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