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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 · charge · ball · sharp · deal · bound · tear · pass

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. sharp — clever
  4. charge — in control
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ball — a dance
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. charge — a price
  10. bound — certain
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. land — ground
  13. charge — electricity
  14. tear — from crying
  15. land — to come down
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — obliged
  18. tear — to rip
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. deal — to handle
  23. ball — a great time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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