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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. lean — thin
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rock — music
  11. net — in sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. land — to come down
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pound — a weight
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. lean — to bend

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