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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. cap — a hat
  6. net — after costs
  7. face — part of the head
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cap — a lid
  10. suit — clothes
  11. face — to confront
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. net — for catching
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. net — in sport
  18. cap — of ice
  19. suit — to fit
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. suit — in cards
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. face — to point toward
  24. land — to come down

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