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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. pop — soda
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pop — to visit
  12. face — to point toward
  13. season — in sport
  14. tear — to rip
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mark — a trace
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cap — of ice
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — of the year
  22. pop — music
  23. chip — for betting
  24. face — to confront

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