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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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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. track — to keep track
  4. foot — a measure
  5. face — part of the head
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. face — to point toward
  8. track — a path
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. land — ground
  11. rock — a stone
  12. land — to come down
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. track — a song
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — a country
  17. rock — music
  18. face — to confront

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