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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. track — to keep track
  3. land — a country
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — to come down
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wind — moving air
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. track — a song
  14. charge — a price
  15. track — a path
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. charge — electricity
  19. land — ground
  20. charge — in control
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — belonging to me

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