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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. craft — boats
  11. face — to confront
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pop — soda
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cell — in biology
  19. track — a song
  20. pop — music
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. track — a path
  23. cell — a phone
  24. craft — a skill

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