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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. land — to come down
  5. cell — a phone
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — to go on
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. last — finally
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — part of the head
  14. last — final
  15. staff — a stick
  16. face — to confront
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — for digging
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mine — belonging to me

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