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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bound — certain
  3. key — for a lock
  4. roll — a cake
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. key — in music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. roll — a list
  11. key — the most important part
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. land — to come down
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bound — obliged
  21. craft — boats
  22. land — ground
  23. craft — a skill
  24. row — to paddle

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