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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. land — ground
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pound — a weight
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mine — for digging
  8. deal — to handle
  9. land — a country
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. rule — a law
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. land — to come down
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rule — government
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mine — an explosive

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