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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. land — ground
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — a stone
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. face — part of the head
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rest — a break
  15. ground — a position
  16. face — to point toward
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. face — to confront
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rock — music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cold — not warm
  24. plane — an aircraft

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