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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. chip — for betting
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cue — a signal
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to confront
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. face — to point toward
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wound — an injury
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cue — a hint

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