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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. root — the cause
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. cold — an illness
  14. root — of a word
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bat — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. land — ground
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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