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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. land — a country
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fine — all right
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fine — high quality
  8. ball — a great time
  9. band — a music group
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. row — a line
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. land — ground
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. band — a ring
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ball — a dance
  22. scale — in music
  23. land — to come down
  24. scale — size or range

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