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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. land — to come down
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. land — a country
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cell — a phone
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cell — in biology
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. dip — to sink
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. dip — to dunk

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