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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. land — to come down
  7. hand — in cards
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. shower — rain
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. fine — all right
  17. land — ground
  18. fine — high quality
  19. hand — help
  20. object — an aim
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pass — a permit
  23. land — a country
  24. hand — part of the body

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