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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. land — a country
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — the earth
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ground — a position
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. degree — temperature
  17. land — to come down
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wind — moving air
  21. roll — a cake
  22. land — ground
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a list

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