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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. land — a country
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. cap — a hat
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. row — a line
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — in sport
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tube — a container
  19. cap — a lid
  20. net — for catching
  21. cap — of ice
  22. net — after costs
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tube — the underground

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