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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. land — ground
  3. face — to confront
  4. pass — a permit
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. root — of a plant
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. root — the cause
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. season — in sport
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. root — of a word
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. kid — child
  23. season — of the year
  24. pass — to spend time

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