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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. land — a country
  3. bound — tied together
  4. face — to confront
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. face — to point toward
  7. land — to come down
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. face — part of the head
  13. land — ground
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bulb — of a plant

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