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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. deal — to handle
  3. last — final
  4. face — to confront
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. land — a country
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — part of the head
  16. field — a subject
  17. court — of law
  18. land — ground
  19. last — to go on
  20. field — farmland
  21. land — to come down
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — for sport
  24. face — to point toward

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