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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 ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. land — to come down
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. land — ground
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. track — a song
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. track — to keep track
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cell — a phone
  18. land — a country
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bound — certain
  21. kick — in football
  22. track — a path
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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