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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fine — high quality
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bank — for money
  6. face — to confront
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fall — to drop
  10. land — ground
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fine — all right
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bank — of a river
  23. land — to come down
  24. bank — for money

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