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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. land — to come down
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. present — the time now
  10. land — ground
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. land — a country
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. present — there
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bark — of a tree

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