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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. tube — a container
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. face — part of the head
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. game — a match
  19. face — to confront
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. tube — the underground

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