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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. sharp — clever
  3. chip — to eat
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cold — an illness
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. key — in music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. face — part of the head
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. field — for sport
  14. face — to confront
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. key — the most important part
  18. staff — employees
  19. cold — not warm
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. field — a subject
  22. chip — for betting
  23. key — for a lock
  24. field — farmland

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