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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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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: foot · hide · track · rock · land · face · can · ground

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. ground — crushed
  7. face — to confront
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. foot — a measure
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — a country
  14. can — to be able to
  15. track — a path
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ground — the earth
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rock — music
  21. land — ground
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ground — a position

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