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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. face — to confront
  3. land — a country
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. charge — electricity
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. charge — in control
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. land — to come down
  10. net — after costs
  11. land — ground
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. charge — a price
  16. face — to point toward
  17. net — in sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. branch — a division
  20. face — part of the head
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. clip — to cut

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