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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. object — an aim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. object — to protest
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. field — a subject
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. field — for sport
  13. land — a country
  14. chest — a box
  15. field — farmland
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. plane — a tool
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. game — wild animals
  21. land — ground
  22. object — a thing
  23. game — a match
  24. chest — of your body

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