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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. suit — to fit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. land — to come down
  5. mug — a face
  6. land — ground
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. capital — a city
  12. suit — in cards
  13. land — a country
  14. lean — to bend
  15. capital — money
  16. track — a path
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. track — a song
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mug — to rob
  21. track — to keep track
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. suit — clothes
  24. lean — thin

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