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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pound — a weight
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. last — final
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fall — the season
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. last — to go on
  18. stand — to bear
  19. shower — rain
  20. last — finally
  21. plane — a tool
  22. shower — to wash
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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