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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rule — government
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. land — a country
  6. rash — hasty
  7. tube — a container
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. land — ground
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rash — a series
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rule — a law
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. chip — for betting
  20. degree — temperature
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. land — to come down
  23. tube — the underground
  24. temple — a place of worship

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