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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. staff — employees
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chip — for betting
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cell — in biology
  12. face — to confront
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stem — to come from
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — a series
  17. foot — a measure
  18. staff — a stick
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pitcher — a jug

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