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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. face — to confront
  3. pit — in a race
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chip — for betting
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pit — a hole
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. face — to point toward
  20. tear — to rip
  21. game — wild animals
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chip — to eat
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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