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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. can — a tin
  3. land — ground
  4. content — happy
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. land — a country
  7. chip — to eat
  8. face — to confront
  9. row — to paddle
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. row — a line
  14. track — to keep track
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chip — for betting
  17. track — a song
  18. can — to be able to
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. can — a tin
  21. content — the amount
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. land — to come down

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