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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hand — help
  9. face — to confront
  10. land — ground
  11. foot — a measure
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. hand — in cards
  15. root — the cause
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. face — to point toward
  18. land — to come down
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bulb — for light
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bulb — of a plant

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