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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. land — to come down
  8. file — a document
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. land — a country
  11. face — part of the head
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fork — in a road
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chip — for betting
  17. file — a tool
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. present — the time now
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stand — to bear
  24. fork — a garden 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