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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: land · mark · game · mine · hide · roll · object · pound

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a list
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. game — a match
  7. object — to protest
  8. roll — a cake
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mine — for digging
  12. land — a country
  13. object — an aim
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mark — a grade
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. object — a thing
  23. mark — a trace
  24. hide — to keep secret

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