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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mine — for digging
  4. file — a document
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. file — a tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. staff — employees
  10. land — ground
  11. plane — a tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — certain
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bound — tied together
  21. staff — a stick
  22. suit — clothes
  23. land — a country
  24. bound — obliged

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