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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. lean — to bend
  4. land — a country
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. row — a line
  10. stand — to bear
  11. court — of law
  12. land — to come down
  13. court — for sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. court — of a king
  20. land — ground
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. lean — thin
  24. stand — for spectators

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