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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fall — to drop
  4. land — a country
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rush — hurry
  9. land — ground
  10. fall — the season
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. file — a tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fall — to drop

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