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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 124 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. land — ground
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — to confront
  9. kick — in football
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wind — moving air
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bulb — for light
  14. face — to point toward
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bulb — for light
  19. face — part of the head
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. land — to come down
  22. wind — moving air
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. hide — animal skin

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