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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mine — for digging
  3. object — to protest
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. row — to paddle
  7. chest — a box
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pit — a hole
  11. land — to come down
  12. object — a thing
  13. chest — of your body
  14. land — a country
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pit — in a race
  17. land — ground
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. prune — to trim

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