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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. key — the most important part
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. branch — a division
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. key — in music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. land — ground
  11. hand — help
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. key — for a lock
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. scale — size or range
  24. land — to come down

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