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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. face — to point toward
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. last — final
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cap — a hat
  11. content — the amount
  12. cap — a lid
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. content — happy
  15. fine — all right
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. face — part of the head
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. face — to confront
  20. scale — in music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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