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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pop — music
  6. face — to point toward
  7. land — ground
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. charge — in control
  11. band — a ring
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. face — to confront
  17. charge — a price
  18. hand — help
  19. pop — soda
  20. hand — in cards
  21. land — a country
  22. charge — electricity
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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