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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. land — ground
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. squash — the sport
  6. land — a country
  7. rest — what's left
  8. land — to come down
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mine — for digging
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bore — to drill
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. mine — belonging to me

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