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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 124 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — to confront
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. chip — to eat
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. face — to point toward
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. capital — a city
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — for betting
  23. capital — money
  24. temple — a place of worship

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