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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. firm — a company
  4. track — a song
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fall — to drop
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. track — a path
  11. pound — a weight
  12. shower — rain
  13. fall — the season
  14. rock — music
  15. land — to come down
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fall — to drop
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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