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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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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. swing — in golf
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bank — for money
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bank — for money
  9. pass — a permit
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. swing — to play on
  13. face — to confront
  14. chip — for betting
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. kid — child
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. file — a document
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bank — of a river
  23. swing — music
  24. file — a tool

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