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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mine — for digging
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. face — to point toward
  7. content — happy
  8. kid — to tease
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wind — moving air
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. face — to confront
  21. chip — for betting
  22. content — the amount
  23. chip — to eat
  24. foot — a measure

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