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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bound — certain
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. land — to come down
  6. field — a subject
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bound — obliged
  12. deal — to handle
  13. field — farmland
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. land — a country
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — ground
  18. bound — tied together

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