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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · mate · game · stand · last · land · deal · face

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. deal — to handle
  3. land — to come down
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mate — to breed
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. land — a country
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. last — finally
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. last — to go on
  15. stand — to bear
  16. face — to confront
  17. last — final
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. game — wild animals
  21. land — ground
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. game — a match
  24. face — to point toward

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