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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. row — a line
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. foot — a measure
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. pound — a weight
  8. race — humankind
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bass — low music
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. row — to paddle
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. race — the arms race
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. race — a contest
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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