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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. face — to point toward
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chip — for betting
  6. staff — a stick
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. lean — thin
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stock — shares
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mine — for digging
  20. face — to confront
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fan — a supporter

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