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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. land — ground
  5. last — finally
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. net — after costs
  10. chest — a box
  11. net — for catching
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. craft — boats
  16. chest — of your body
  17. plane — a tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. last — final
  21. land — to come down
  22. bat — the animal
  23. foot — a measure
  24. last — to go on

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