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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. row — to paddle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. file — a tool
  9. mark — a grade
  10. land — to come down
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chest — of your body
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. land — a country
  15. scale — in music
  16. file — a document
  17. scale — size or range
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mark — a trace
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. file — a line of people
  23. deal — to handle
  24. safe — out of danger

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