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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 124 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — the season
  4. pound — a weight
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spell — magic
  7. land — to come down
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. spell — a short time
  11. board — to get on
  12. pop — music
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. spring — of water
  16. land — a country
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — soda
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. board — a committee
  22. pop — to visit
  23. spring — a coil
  24. chair — a leader

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