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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. key — in music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cue — for pool
  8. hand — help
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. bound — certain
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. key — for a lock
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. bound — obliged
  24. file — a line of people

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