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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. game — a match
  5. clip — a video
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spell — letters
  8. land — to come down
  9. firm — a company
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. game — wild animals
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. spell — magic
  18. firm — steady
  19. clip — for paper
  20. land — ground
  21. clip — to cut
  22. firm — decided
  23. vault — a safe
  24. spell — a short time

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