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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. foot — a measure
  6. object — an aim
  7. club — a group
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rash — a series
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — a line
  13. club — for golf
  14. row — to paddle
  15. board — a committee
  16. club — for dancing
  17. land — a country
  18. object — to protest
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. object — a thing
  21. board — to get on
  22. land — to come down
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. board — a flat piece

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