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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. toast — bread
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. roll — a list
  10. face — to point toward
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. face — to confront

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