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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pound — a weight
  3. land — ground
  4. can — to be able to
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. court — for sport
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — of a king
  15. land — a country
  16. court — of law
  17. net — after costs
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. land — to come down
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. can — a tin
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — a match

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