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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pound — a weight
  4. clip — a video
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. club — for dancing
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — to get on
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. club — for golf
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. club — a group
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. board — a committee
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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