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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pass — a permit
  3. charge — a price
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wind — moving air
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bore — to drill
  9. land — ground
  10. charge — in control
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wind — moving air
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. saw — the tool
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. land — to come down
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. row — a line

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