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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lie — to recline
  3. face — to confront
  4. last — final
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tube — a container
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. last — finally
  13. land — ground
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. last — to go on
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. land — to come down
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lie — an untruth

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