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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. land — a country
  3. chest — a box
  4. land — ground
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. chest — of your body
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. land — to come down
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. clip — for paper
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stand — to bear
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. chest — of your body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. suit — to fit
  24. stand — for spectators

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