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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. row — a line
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pit — a hole
  5. face — to point toward
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. game — wild animals
  10. face — part of the head
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. row — to paddle
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cell — in biology
  20. game — a match
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. face — to confront
  24. pitch — a sports field

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