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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chip — to eat
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. face — to confront
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. face — to point toward
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pop — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pop — to visit
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pop — soda

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