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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. craft — boats
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rule — a law
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. rule — government
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. snap — to click
  24. mate — a friend

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