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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. face — to point toward
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. bound — certain
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. face — part of the head
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. face — to confront
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chest — a box

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