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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bound — certain
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mark — a trace
  7. field — for sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. field — farmland
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. land — ground
  14. field — a subject
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — to confront
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bound — obliged
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mate — a friend
  23. face — to point toward
  24. racket — for tennis

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