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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ground — crushed
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. land — a country
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. land — ground
  12. clip — to cut
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. pop — music
  22. ground — a position
  23. land — to come down
  24. ground — the earth

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