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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. track — to keep track
  3. land — a country
  4. pop — soda
  5. kid — child
  6. face — part of the head
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pop — music
  9. track — a song
  10. bound — certain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. land — to come down
  14. kid — to tease
  15. face — to confront
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. track — a path
  18. pop — to visit
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bound — obliged
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lean — thin
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lean — to bend

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