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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pass — a permit
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — to go on
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mine — for digging
  10. last — finally
  11. land — ground
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cue — a signal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. land — to come down
  18. wind — moving air
  19. last — final
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. land — a country
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. branch — a division

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