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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. land — a country
  4. mug — to rob
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mug — a cup
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wound — an injury
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. squash — the sport
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mug — a face
  14. wound — an injury
  15. squash — to crush
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. row — a line
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bound — certain
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. face — to confront

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