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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. face — to confront
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. face — to point toward
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. land — to come down
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pit — in a race
  11. season — in sport
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lean — thin
  15. season — of the year
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. land — ground
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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