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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pit — in a race
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. game — wild animals
  5. degree — temperature
  6. face — to confront
  7. degree — from a university
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. face — to point toward
  12. degree — an amount
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. game — a match
  17. pit — a hole
  18. saw — the tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. face — part of the head
  24. nail — for a hammer

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