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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rest — what's left
  3. land — ground
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. land — to come down
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. board — a committee
  12. face — part of the head
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. board — to get on
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ball — a dance
  21. face — to confront
  22. spring — of water
  23. ball — a great time
  24. saw — the tool

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