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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. object — to protest
  3. land — ground
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. root — of a plant
  7. land — to come down
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bound — obliged
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. root — of a word
  13. row — to paddle
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bound — certain
  17. land — a country
  18. bound — tied together
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. swing — music
  21. root — the cause
  22. object — a thing
  23. swing — to play on
  24. object — an aim

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