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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pit — a hole
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bark — to shout
  5. land — ground
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. plane — a tool
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. sharp — clever
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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