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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chest — a box
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chest — of your body
  8. land — ground
  9. face — to point toward
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. face — part of the head
  14. staff — employees
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. staff — a stick
  19. face — to confront
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. staff — employees

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