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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. face — to confront
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. plane — a tool
  11. field — a subject
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pound — a weight
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. racket — for tennis
  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