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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. object — an aim
  3. land — a country
  4. shower — rain
  5. pound — a weight
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mark — a grade
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. bat — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. object — to protest
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mark — a trace
  15. field — for sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. object — a thing
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. land — to come down
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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