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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 ________________ took off on time.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. land — ground
  4. current — happening now
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chip — to eat
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. land — to come down
  13. field — for sport
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. current — electric
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. field — a subject
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. current — of water
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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