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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pound — a weight
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. key — in music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bore — to drill
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. land — a country
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. land — ground
  20. rule — government
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. key — the most important part
  24. trunk — of a tree

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