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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. degree — from a university
  3. firm — a company
  4. face — to confront
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. land — to come down
  7. degree — an amount
  8. land — ground
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. degree — temperature
  12. firm — decided
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. firm — steady
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wind — moving air
  20. prune — to trim
  21. face — to point toward
  22. prune — to trim
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stand — on your feet

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