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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. chip — for betting
  3. last — finally
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. face — to confront
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. chair — a leader
  11. last — to go on
  12. face — part of the head
  13. last — final
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mine — for digging

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