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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. spell — magic
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. scale — in music
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. land — a country
  8. face — to confront
  9. spell — letters
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. face — to point toward
  12. kick — in football
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stand — to bear
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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