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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. face — part of the head
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. hand — help
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hand — in cards
  10. face — to point toward
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. degree — temperature
  16. chip — to eat
  17. march — music
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. face — to confront
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. degree — an amount
  24. saw — the tool

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