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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. root — the cause
  8. land — a country
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. land — to come down
  11. last — final
  12. bound — certain
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bound — tied together
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hand — in cards
  20. last — to go on
  21. root — of a word
  22. hand — help
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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