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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bound — certain
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hand — help
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. land — a country
  17. bound — tied together
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. land — ground
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. land — to come down

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