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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. season — of the year
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bass — low music
  5. land — to come down
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mug — a cup
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. court — of law
  12. season — in sport
  13. land — ground
  14. mug — a face
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. court — for sport
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. court — of a king
  19. bass — the fish
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mug — to rob
  24. plane — a tool

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