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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rest — a break
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — to grow
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. track — to keep track
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. land — ground
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. land — a country
  15. track — a song
  16. rock — music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rest — what's left
  19. track — a path
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. land — to come down
  24. rest — what's left

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