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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. ground — crushed
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. face — to point toward
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. face — to confront
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — in music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — a position
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chip — for betting

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