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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. face — to confront
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. land — ground
  16. chip — for betting
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chest — a box

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