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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. spell — letters
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spell — magic
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. kid — to tease
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. chair — a leader
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kid — child
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. season — in sport
  20. perch — the fish
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. season — of the year
  23. land — to come down
  24. spell — a short time

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