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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 blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. land — a country
  3. charge — a price
  4. board — a committee
  5. charge — electricity
  6. land — to come down
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. root — of a plant
  13. board — to get on
  14. charge — in control
  15. firm — decided
  16. root — the cause
  17. firm — a company
  18. land — ground
  19. firm — steady
  20. root — of a word
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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