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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fine — high quality
  3. object — an aim
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. face — to confront
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. land — ground
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. object — to protest
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. land — a country
  23. object — a thing
  24. bear — to put up with

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