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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. face — to confront
  4. chip — to eat
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. craft — boats
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chip — for betting
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. craft — a skill
  19. degree — temperature
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. degree — from a university
  24. craft — a handicraft

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