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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kid — child
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. land — to come down
  5. suit — in cards
  6. land — a country
  7. kid — to tease
  8. suit — clothes
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pound — a weight
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. land — ground
  14. root — the cause
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. root — of a word
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. root — of a plant
  22. suit — to fit
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fine — high quality

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