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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. face — to confront
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chair — a leader
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. track — a path
  15. face — part of the head
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. track — a song
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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