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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: mate · foot · ground · coach · saw · dip · arm · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. ground — crushed
  6. land — to come down
  7. foot — a measure
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. saw — the tool
  20. land — ground
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. dip — to sink
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. arm — part of the body

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