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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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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: land · kick · pit · spell · safe · chair · row · cell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. kick — in football
  4. cell — a phone
  5. land — a country
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spell — magic
  10. pit — a hole
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. land — to come down
  16. row — to paddle
  17. land — ground
  18. row — a line
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spell — a short time
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chair — a leader

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