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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spell — letters
  3. land — to come down
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cap — a hat
  7. land — a country
  8. cue — a signal
  9. firm — steady
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cue — for pool
  12. firm — decided
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. spell — magic
  21. land — ground
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bound — certain

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