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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. net — in sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pass — a permit
  9. net — for catching
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. net — after costs
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rest — a break
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. branch — a division

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