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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. land — a country
  5. bound — obliged
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. staff — employees
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bound — tied together
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bound — certain
  20. lean — thin
  21. chair — a leader
  22. swing — music
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. plane — a tool

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