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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. last — final
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. scale — in music
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. track — a song
  10. last — finally
  11. face — to confront
  12. chip — for betting
  13. track — a path
  14. scale — size or range
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chip — to eat
  24. last — to go on

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