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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. deal — to handle
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. land — ground
  6. stem — to come from
  7. row — a line
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. court — of a king
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. court — for sport
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. game — wild animals
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. land — a country
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bound — obliged
  21. game — a match
  22. court — of law
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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