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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pound — a weight
  3. land — a country
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. track — a song
  9. club — a group
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. track — to keep track
  12. club — for dancing
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. track — a path
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. mine — for digging
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. club — for golf
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. land — to come down

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