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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. last — to go on
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. key — in music
  10. land — ground
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wind — moving air
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. last — finally
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lie — to recline
  18. key — the most important part
  19. last — final
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. face — part of the head
  24. land — to come down

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