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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. chip — to eat
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — thin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — a box
  9. pop — soda
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chip — for betting
  13. face — to confront
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — of your body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pop — music
  22. lean — to bend
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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