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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chip — for betting
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. face — to confront
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. face — to point toward
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. object — to protest
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — to paddle
  14. object — an aim
  15. cap — a lid
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. row — a line
  23. fork — in a road
  24. face — part of the head

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