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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. face — part of the head
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. file — a document
  9. face — to confront
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. file — a tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bear — the animal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chip — to eat
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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