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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. clip — a video
  4. face — to point toward
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. foot — a measure
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. scale — size or range
  12. clip — for paper
  13. squash — to crush
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bulb — for light
  16. squash — the sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. scale — in music
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. press — newspapers
  24. face — to confront

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