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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chip — for betting
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — to point toward
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. face — part of the head
  12. degree — from a university
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chair — a leader
  24. degree — an amount

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