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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. land — a country
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. board — to get on
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — part of the head
  7. firm — steady
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. sharp — clever
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. board — a committee
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wax — to grow
  18. firm — decided
  19. land — to come down
  20. snap — to click
  21. face — to confront
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. land — ground
  24. face — to point toward

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