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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bark — to shout
  10. land — to come down
  11. spell — magic
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spell — a short time
  16. net — for catching
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wind — moving air
  20. suit — to fit
  21. spell — letters
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. suit — clothes

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