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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. season — in sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. land — a country
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kid — child
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. mine — for digging
  16. season — of the year
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. staff — employees
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ruler — for measuring

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