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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. roll — a list
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. chip — to eat
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — to point toward
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. roll — a cake
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. face — part of the head
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tube — a container
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. spell — magic
  23. face — to confront
  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