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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chip — for betting
  5. row — a line
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. current — happening now
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. current — electric
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. face — to point toward
  16. row — to paddle
  17. current — of water
  18. chip — to eat
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lean — thin
  22. face — to confront
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. face — part of the head

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