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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 124 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pop — music
  6. suit — clothes
  7. land — ground
  8. track — a song
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pop — to visit
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bound — tied together
  14. suit — in cards
  15. track — a path
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pop — soda
  21. land — to come down
  22. mark — a trace
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bound — certain

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