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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. club — for golf
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mark — a grade
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. scale — in music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pit — in a race
  17. club — a group
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. face — to confront
  20. club — for dancing
  21. kick — in football
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. kick — with a leg

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