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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 124 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. face — to confront
  3. land — a country
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. toast — bread
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cell — a phone
  11. face — part of the head
  12. land — to come down
  13. pass — a permit
  14. chest — a box
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. land — ground
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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