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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. land — a country
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mug — a cup
  11. land — ground
  12. bore — to tire
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pound — a weight
  15. game — wild animals
  16. land — to come down
  17. mug — a face
  18. game — a match

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