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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. land — to come down
  3. row — a line
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mine — for digging
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wound — an injury
  9. land — a country
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. key — the most important part
  12. land — ground
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — in music
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chair — a leader
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. foot — a measure
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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