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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. land — to come down
  3. wound — an injury
  4. land — ground
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. net — after costs
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. charge — in control
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rule — government
  15. wound — an injury
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. charge — a price
  18. rule — a law
  19. net — for catching
  20. land — a country
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. saw — the tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. net — in sport

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