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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bound — certain
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. deal — to handle
  6. present — the time now
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fall — to drop
  16. land — ground
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. present — there
  21. fall — the season
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. land — a country
  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