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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mark — a trace
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. land — a country
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fine — all right
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fine — high quality
  18. root — of a word
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. root — the cause
  22. mark — a grade
  23. land — ground
  24. bat — for baseball

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