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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. field — for sport
  3. chip — for betting
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. band — a music group
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rush — hurry
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. face — to confront
  24. chip — in a computer

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