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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rest — what's left
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — farmland
  8. land — to come down
  9. rest — a break
  10. land — ground
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. can — to be able to
  15. field — a subject
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — for sport
  21. face — to confront
  22. land — a country
  23. perch — the fish
  24. ruler — for measuring

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