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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. land — a country
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. roll — a list
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. land — to come down
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. roll — a cake
  17. kick — in football
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. nail — for a hammer

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