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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fine — all right
  3. chest — of your body
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chest — a box
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. chest — of your body
  11. staff — employees
  12. net — after costs
  13. face — to confront
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ball — a great time
  17. chip — for betting
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. face — to point toward
  20. net — in sport
  21. fine — high quality
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. net — for catching
  24. trunk — of a tree

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