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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. file — a document
  3. bark — to shout
  4. file — a tool
  5. face — part of the head
  6. field — for sport
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. file — a line of people
  9. land — to come down
  10. face — to confront
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. face — to point toward
  16. field — a subject
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. land — ground
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — farmland
  24. pass — to succeed

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