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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. land — a country
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. face — to point toward
  5. land — to come down
  6. track — a path
  7. bound — certain
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bound — tied together
  11. face — part of the head
  12. land — ground
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — to eat
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rest — what's left
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. face — to confront
  24. bound — obliged

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