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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. shower — to wash
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. land — to come down
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. shower — rain
  8. game — wild animals
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mark — a trace
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chair — a leader
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. face — to point toward
  16. game — a match
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. face — to confront
  20. mark — a grade
  21. land — ground
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mark — to pay attention

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