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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bound — obliged
  3. band — a music group
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. degree — an amount
  8. charge — electricity
  9. land — ground
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bound — tied together
  12. land — to come down
  13. net — for catching
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bound — certain
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. degree — temperature
  18. net — after costs
  19. charge — a price
  20. pit — in a race
  21. net — in sport
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. band — a ring
  24. charge — in control

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