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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. perch — the fish
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. face — to confront
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spell — magic
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mate — a partner
  12. spell — a short time
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — to come down
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — letters
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. game — a match
  22. land — ground
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mate — to breed

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