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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. land — a country
  6. swing — in golf
  7. chip — to eat
  8. face — to point toward
  9. land — to come down
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. land — ground
  12. game — a match
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. face — to confront
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. swing — music
  20. stand — to bear
  21. game — wild animals
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stand — for spectators
  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