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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. face — to point toward
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bound — tied together
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. charge — in control
  7. land — to come down
  8. charge — a price
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. face — to confront
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bound — obliged
  13. charge — electricity
  14. face — part of the head
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. land — ground
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kid — child
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bound — certain

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