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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. chip — to eat
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — help
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tube — a container
  8. bass — low music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bass — the fish
  11. chip — for betting
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. hand — in cards
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cell — in biology
  21. face — to confront
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. ground — a position
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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