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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. face — part of the head
  7. scale — size or range
  8. net — in sport
  9. bank — for money
  10. net — for catching
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. net — after costs
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bank — of a river
  16. face — to point toward
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. face — to confront
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bank — for money

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