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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 124 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. land — to come down
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — ground
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — a tin
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. face — to point toward
  11. land — a country
  12. can — a tin
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cell — a phone
  17. face — part of the head
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cell — in biology
  22. drill — the tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. face — to confront

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