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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. face — to confront
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. net — for catching
  6. face — part of the head
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. content — happy
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. face — to point toward
  14. tear — from crying
  15. net — after costs
  16. tear — to rip
  17. content — the amount
  18. pass — a permit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stand — to bear
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. net — in sport

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