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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. saw — the tool
  3. object — a thing
  4. toast — bread
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. object — to protest
  9. pound — a weight
  10. land — to come down
  11. file — a document
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. net — in sport
  17. land — ground
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. net — for catching
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. net — after costs
  23. object — an aim
  24. pound — to hit hard

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