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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mate — to breed
  3. land — to come down
  4. board — to get on
  5. degree — an amount
  6. swing — music
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. firm — a company
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. firm — decided
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. land — ground
  15. firm — steady
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mark — a grade
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mine — for digging
  21. board — a committee
  22. mate — a friend
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mark — a trace

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