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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pop — to visit
  4. land — to come down
  5. fork — in a road
  6. land — a country
  7. pop — music
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — in sport
  16. pass — a permit
  17. land — ground
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. net — for catching
  20. bulb — for light
  21. net — after costs
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. face — to confront
  24. fork — to eat with

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