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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. land — a country
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. field — a subject
  5. ground — crushed
  6. craft — a skill
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. content — the amount
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. content — happy
  13. land — ground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. land — to come down
  17. craft — boats
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lie — to recline
  23. ground — a position
  24. craft — a handicraft

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