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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. land — a country
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rush — hurry
  5. lean — thin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. face — part of the head
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — low music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cell — a phone
  15. lean — to bend
  16. face — to confront
  17. bass — the fish
  18. land — ground
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ground — a position
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cell — in biology
  24. ground — the earth

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