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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pit — a hole
  5. staff — employees
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. plane — a tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. land — ground
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — a stick
  21. land — to come down
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. plane — in geometry

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