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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. court — for sport
  7. current — happening now
  8. bass — the fish
  9. saw — the tool
  10. snap — to click
  11. bass — low music
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spell — magic
  14. court — of a king
  15. current — of water
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. land — ground
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. land — to come down
  22. spell — letters
  23. court — of law
  24. current — electric

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