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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. staff — employees
  3. scale — in music
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. face — part of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. land — to come down
  10. root — of a plant
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. root — of a word
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hand — help
  18. face — to confront
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. root — the cause
  22. staff — employees
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. land — ground

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