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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 124 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cell — in biology
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pound — a weight
  7. firm — decided
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mate — to breed
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. firm — a company
  16. mate — a partner
  17. firm — steady
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. date — the fruit
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pound — to hit hard

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