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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. clip — a video
  4. fall — to drop
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — an injury
  7. firm — steady
  8. land — ground
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. staff — employees
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. firm — a company
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fall — the season
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. firm — decided
  24. pound — a weight

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