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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. kid — child
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. face — to point toward
  5. file — a document
  6. cap — a lid
  7. kid — to tease
  8. prune — to trim
  9. file — a tool
  10. chip — for betting
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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