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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mate — a partner
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. present — a gift
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mate — to breed
  13. land — to come down
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rush — hurry
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. land — ground
  20. present — there
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mate — a friend
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. present — the time now

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