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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mark — a grade
  3. land — to come down
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. current — of water
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. land — a country
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fan — a supporter

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