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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. present — the time now
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. last — to go on
  5. snap — to click
  6. present — a gift
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. face — part of the head
  9. present — there
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. chip — to eat
  16. last — finally
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. face — to confront
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cell — a phone
  23. last — final
  24. rest — a break

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