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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. row — to paddle
  3. ground — a position
  4. face — to point toward
  5. file — a line of people
  6. land — ground
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. drill — army training
  10. row — a line
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. object — to protest
  13. drill — a practice
  14. land — to come down
  15. drill — the tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. land — a country
  18. object — a thing
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. lie — to recline
  22. face — to confront
  23. object — an aim
  24. face — part of the head

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