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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kid — child
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cell — in biology
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. face — to confront
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. arm — part of the body

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