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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pass — a permit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. land — to come down
  13. bark — to shout
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. land — a country

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