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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cue — a signal
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. object — to protest
  7. land — ground
  8. face — to confront
  9. rash — hasty
  10. face — to point toward
  11. land — a country
  12. hand — help
  13. last — to go on
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. last — final
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. object — a thing
  21. land — to come down
  22. rash — a series
  23. last — finally
  24. object — an aim

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