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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. land — ground
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lie — to recline
  18. row — a line
  19. fall — the season
  20. land — to come down
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fall — to drop

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