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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. land — a country
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. land — ground
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. last — finally
  11. lean — thin
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pitch — completely
  16. plane — a tool
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. last — final
  20. last — to go on
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lean — to bend
  24. calf — a young animal

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