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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. spell — letters
  3. last — finally
  4. face — part of the head
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. face — to point toward
  8. charge — electricity
  9. last — to go on
  10. face — to confront
  11. last — final
  12. charge — a price
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cold — not warm
  15. charge — in control
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cold — an illness
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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