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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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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. tube — the underground
  3. land — a country
  4. tube — a container
  5. face — to confront
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mark — a grade
  14. face — part of the head
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. land — ground
  18. key — in music

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