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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. chip — to eat
  3. face — part of the head
  4. tube — a container
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. can — a tin
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. can — to be able to
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. face — to confront
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. can — a tin
  18. chip — for betting
  19. kick — in football
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. trunk — of a tree

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