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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chip — for betting
  8. land — to come down
  9. board — to get on
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. face — to confront
  16. land — a country
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. board — a committee
  20. face — to point toward
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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