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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. wound — an injury
  3. object — an aim
  4. bark — to shout
  5. land — to come down
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. land — a country
  9. object — to protest
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. lean — thin
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. deal — to handle
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. object — a thing
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. land — ground
  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