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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mug — a cup
  3. band — a ring
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — to rob
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bound — certain
  9. land — to come down
  10. file — a document
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bound — obliged
  15. band — a music group
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — ground
  21. file — a tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. face — to confront
  24. bound — tied together

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