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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 124 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. land — to come down
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mark — a grade
  5. land — ground
  6. firm — steady
  7. land — a country
  8. present — there
  9. firm — a company
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. firm — decided
  12. face — to confront
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mate — a partner
  18. face — part of the head
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wind — moving air
  24. face — to point toward

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