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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. sharp — clever
  3. face — part of the head
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. spell — letters
  6. net — in sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. mark — a grade
  9. chip — to eat
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. face — to point toward
  12. staff — employees
  13. mark — a trace
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. chip — for betting
  20. vault — a safe
  21. spell — a short time
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. mark — to pay attention

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