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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. face — to confront
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pass — a permit
  21. land — ground
  22. wax — to grow
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cabinet — ministers

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