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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. clip — a video
  7. staff — employees
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. staff — employees
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — ground
  17. staff — a stick
  18. face — to confront
  19. pop — music
  20. land — to come down
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rock — music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. clip — for paper

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