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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spell — magic
  3. sharp — clever
  4. face — to point toward
  5. spell — letters
  6. court — for sport
  7. land — ground
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. current — of water
  10. face — to confront
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spell — a short time
  13. current — happening now
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. face — part of the head
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. current — electric
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. land — to come down

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