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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. land — a country
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tear — from crying
  7. face — to confront
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. staff — employees
  10. chest — a box
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. court — of law
  13. staff — employees
  14. tear — to rip
  15. land — ground
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — part of the head
  18. land — to come down
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. staff — a stick
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tear — from crying

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