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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 124 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pop — to visit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — a country
  12. pop — music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bound — certain
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread
  19. land — ground
  20. pop — soda
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. land — to come down
  24. wound — an injury

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