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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. mate — to breed
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. court — of a king
  13. face — part of the head
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. vault — a safe
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mate — a friend
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chip — for betting

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