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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chip — for betting
  4. face — to confront
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mate — a friend
  7. land — a country
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mate — a partner
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. clip — a video
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. clip — for paper
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mate — to breed
  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