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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. spell — magic
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. land — ground
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chest — a box
  24. arm — part of the body

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