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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. object — a thing
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lean — thin
  5. object — to protest
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. face — to confront
  8. object — an aim
  9. last — to go on
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chip — for betting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pitch — completely
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. game — a match
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lean — to bend
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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