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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cap — of ice
  4. drill — a practice
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chip — for betting
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. face — to confront
  12. drill — the tool
  13. club — for golf
  14. rash — hasty
  15. saw — the tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. drill — army training
  18. rash — a series
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cap — a hat

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