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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. squash — the sport
  4. face — to confront
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. firm — decided
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. face — part of the head
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. land — ground
  13. firm — steady
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — a company
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pit — a hole
  20. snap — to click
  21. pit — in a race
  22. face — to point toward
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitcher — a jug

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