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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pass — a permit
  6. row — a line
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. rest — a break
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. land — ground
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. land — to come down

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