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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. net — after costs
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. root — of a word
  7. object — to protest
  8. lie — to recline
  9. root — the cause
  10. object — an aim
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — in sport
  16. object — a thing
  17. pound — a weight
  18. land — to come down
  19. root — of a plant
  20. land — a country
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. snap — to click
  23. net — for catching
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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