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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. land — ground
  3. face — to point toward
  4. land — to come down
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tube — the underground
  7. perch — the fish
  8. band — a ring
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — the month
  11. land — a country
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. pass — a permit
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. march — the month
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. march — music
  24. tube — in a tire

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