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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. land — a country
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stand — to bear
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wake — a trail
  11. land — ground
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. chair — a leader
  18. land — to come down
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. field — for sport
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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