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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. land — ground
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. rest — a break
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. object — to protest
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. object — an aim
  17. land — a country
  18. object — a thing
  19. craft — boats
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pound — a weight
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rest — what's left

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