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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. land — a country
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. land — ground
  5. craft — a skill
  6. land — to come down
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bat — the animal
  9. last — final
  10. craft — boats
  11. march — the month
  12. rule — government
  13. march — music
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. last — to go on
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. last — finally
  19. rule — a law
  20. march — the month
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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