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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bat — the animal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fork — in a road
  7. face — to point toward
  8. race — a contest
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. present — the time now
  11. face — to confront
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chip — to eat
  16. present — a gift
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. present — there
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. race — humankind

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