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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pop — soda
  3. rule — a law
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. land — ground
  6. track — a path
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spring — of water
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. spring — the season
  11. pop — to visit
  12. land — to come down
  13. face — part of the head
  14. march — the month
  15. track — a song
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. land — a country
  18. march — music
  19. rule — government
  20. face — to confront
  21. march — the month
  22. spring — a coil
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pop — 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