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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. club — for dancing
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — a cup
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — to come down
  21. bear — the animal
  22. club — a group
  23. mug — a face
  24. net — in sport

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