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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 120 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. game — a match
  3. face — part of the head
  4. spring — the season
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. ground — a position
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. face — to confront
  10. chip — to eat
  11. suit — to fit
  12. content — happy
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ground — crushed
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. face — to point toward
  18. content — the amount
  19. chip — for betting
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spring — of water
  23. ground — the earth
  24. suit — in cards

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