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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mug — a cup
  12. land — to come down
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mug — to rob
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mug — a face
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. kid — child
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. net — in sport
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. prune — to trim

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