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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chest — of your body
  4. face — to confront
  5. season — in sport
  6. track — a path
  7. object — a thing
  8. current — electric
  9. chest — a box
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. current — of water
  12. season — of the year
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. face — part of the head
  18. current — happening now
  19. object — an aim
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. object — to protest
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chip — to eat

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