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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. track — a path
  4. land — a country
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. land — ground
  7. game — a match
  8. can — a tin
  9. capital — a city
  10. bound — obliged
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mark — a trace
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — tied together
  18. track — a song
  19. mark — a grade
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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