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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. tear — to rip
  3. face — part of the head
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rest — a break
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chip — for betting
  11. net — for catching
  12. current — happening now
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. vault — a safe
  16. net — after costs
  17. face — to confront
  18. rest — what's left
  19. foot — a measure
  20. net — in sport
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — what's left
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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