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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chest — of your body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. face — to confront
  6. shower — to wash
  7. current — of water
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rash — hasty
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chest — a box
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chip — for betting
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chest — of your body

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