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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. face — to confront
  4. land — ground
  5. court — of a king
  6. face — to point toward
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. kick — in football
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fine — all right
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fine — high quality
  16. roll — a cake
  17. board — to get on
  18. court — for sport
  19. cap — a lid
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. court — of law
  24. roll — a list

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