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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — farmland
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. field — a subject
  12. fine — high quality
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. land — to come down
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. land — ground
  21. date — the fruit
  22. field — for sport
  23. face — to confront
  24. date — on the calendar

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