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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. land — a country
  3. tube — the underground
  4. face — part of the head
  5. rush — hurry
  6. last — to go on
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. face — to confront
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. last — finally
  13. tube — a container
  14. land — ground
  15. last — final
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. land — to come down
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bass — low music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wave — of the sea

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