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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. face — part of the head
  4. land — ground
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rule — a law
  8. land — to come down
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. file — a line of people
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spell — a short time
  15. file — a tool
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spell — letters
  19. face — to confront
  20. file — a document
  21. spell — magic
  22. rule — government
  23. stand — to bear
  24. leaves — lets stay

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