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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. land — a country
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. foot — a measure
  10. lean — thin
  11. land — to come down
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. game — a match
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — wild animals
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. shower — rain
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. foot — the bottom

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