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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. face — part of the head
  3. file — a line of people
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. board — to get on
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. file — a document
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. face — to point toward
  21. file — a tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. face — to confront

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