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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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cue — a hint
  4. land — a country
  5. race — a contest
  6. land — ground
  7. pit — a hole
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pound — a weight
  13. race — the arms race
  14. land — to come down
  15. face — to confront
  16. cue — a signal
  17. firm — steady
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. drill — the tool
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. drill — army training
  24. race — humankind

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