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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. net — in sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. land — a country
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. net — for catching
  7. saw — the tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pop — soda
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. land — to come down
  13. net — after costs
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bank — for money
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — a position
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ground — the earth
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pop — to visit
  24. saw — the tool

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