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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. bank — for money
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cap — a hat
  6. row — a line
  7. cap — of ice
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. land — ground
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fine — all right
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bank — for money
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bank — of a river
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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