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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. land — ground
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stock — goods
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. land — a country
  12. foot — a measure
  13. row — a line
  14. chest — a box
  15. stock — shares
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bass — low music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. land — to come down
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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