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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rash — hasty
  4. game — wild animals
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — to confront
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wind — moving air
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rule — government
  14. press — to push
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. can — a tin
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rash — a series
  21. game — a match
  22. rule — a law
  23. press — newspapers
  24. game — a kind of play

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