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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — of water
  4. stock — goods
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. land — a country
  7. current — happening now
  8. stock — shares
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. current — electric
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. tube — a container
  19. land — ground
  20. face — part of the head
  21. land — to come down
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tube — the underground

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