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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. last — final
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. fine — high quality
  7. land — to come down
  8. band — a ring
  9. land — ground
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — finally
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fine — all right
  17. present — a gift
  18. last — to go on
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. face — to point toward
  21. land — a country
  22. face — to confront
  23. band — a music group
  24. bulb — for light

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