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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. object — to protest
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. chip — for betting
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chip — to eat
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rush — hurry
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. object — a thing
  17. face — part of the head
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. object — an aim
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wind — to turn a key

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