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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. key — the most important part
  5. face — to point toward
  6. key — for a lock
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. face — to confront
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — to come down
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. face — part of the head
  19. key — in music
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. land — a country
  22. current — happening now
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. land — ground

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