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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. capital — money
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ground — a position
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. ground — the earth
  9. chest — a box
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a city
  12. hand — in cards
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. land — to come down
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. track — a song
  19. ground — crushed
  20. land — a country
  21. plane — a tool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — ground
  24. hand — help

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