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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. content — happy
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. content — the amount
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. capital — money
  10. land — to come down
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rash — hasty
  15. craft — a skill
  16. plane — a tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. foot — a measure
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. land — ground
  22. rash — a series
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. craft — boats

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