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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. net — for catching
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. net — in sport
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. current — happening now
  15. net — after costs
  16. chip — for betting
  17. current — electric
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. chip — to eat
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. current — of water
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. land — a country
  24. stand — on your feet

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