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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. land — a country
  5. board — to get on
  6. suit — to fit
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. capital — money
  10. spell — magic
  11. suit — clothes
  12. land — to come down
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. present — the time now
  17. pit — in a race
  18. present — a gift
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. capital — a city
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pound — a weight
  23. present — there
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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