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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hand — help
  6. last — finally
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chip — for betting
  10. last — final
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mark — a trace
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. last — to go on
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bound — certain
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. land — a country
  24. trunk — of a car

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