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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. face — to confront
  3. drill — the tool
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. rule — government
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. drill — a practice
  11. court — for sport
  12. land — a country
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. court — of a king
  16. chip — for betting
  17. court — of law
  18. chip — to eat
  19. face — to point toward
  20. drill — army training
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. land — ground
  23. rule — a law
  24. face — part of the head

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