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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chip — for betting
  5. face — to confront
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mug — a face
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wind — moving air
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. mug — a cup
  16. chip — to eat
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. track — to keep track
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. track — a path
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. track — a song
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. face — to point toward

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