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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mine — for digging
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. file — a document
  8. kick — in football
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — of water
  17. land — a country
  18. face — to confront
  19. spring — the season
  20. fine — all right
  21. land — to come down
  22. fine — high quality
  23. land — ground
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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