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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: row · bound · plane · land · pit · game · toast · board

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. board — to get on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. land — ground
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pit — in a race
  9. toast — bread
  10. plane — a tool
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. game — a match
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bound — tied together
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bound — certain
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. pit — a hole
  21. land — to come down
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. row — to paddle
  24. game — wild animals

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