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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pound — a weight
  3. last — final
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. land — a country
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cell — in biology
  14. land — ground
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. last — finally
  17. land — to come down
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. last — to go on
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. lean — thin
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lean — to bend

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