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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rest — a break
  6. bank — of a river
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — for betting
  10. face — to confront
  11. bank — for money
  12. face — part of the head
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ground — a position
  21. rest — what's left
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ground — crushed

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