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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · row · hand · net · chip · land · last · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. land — to come down
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. last — final
  9. plane — a tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. hand — help
  18. land — ground
  19. chip — to eat
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. last — finally
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. last — to go on
  24. plane — in geometry

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