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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. land — ground
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. march — music
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. ball — a dance
  19. board — a committee
  20. march — the month
  21. deal — to handle
  22. board — to get on
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ball — a round shape

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