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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. can — a tin
  3. land — a country
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — a series
  7. can — a tin
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. can — to be able to
  11. land — to come down
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. face — to confront
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. land — ground
  24. spell — a short time

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