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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: pit · tear · calf · face · foot · mine · season · land

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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. pit — a hole
  4. face — to confront
  5. season — of the year
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. tear — from crying
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mine — for digging
  10. land — ground
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. land — to come down
  13. season — in sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. tear — to rip
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tear — from crying
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — belonging to me

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