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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. land — a country
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. march — the month
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. deal — to handle
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. ground — a position
  22. march — music
  23. mine — for digging
  24. march — the month

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