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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · pound · mug · land · bore · cell · sharp · ground

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bore — to tire
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pound — a weight
  11. ground — a position
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cell — in biology
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. bore — to drill
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mug — a face
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. land — a country
  24. game — a match

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