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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rule — a law
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hand — in cards
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — help
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. can — a tin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rule — government
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a ring
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. bound — certain
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bound — tied together
  24. band — a music group

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