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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. face — to confront
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. band — a ring
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. face — to point toward
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chip — to eat
  18. face — part of the head
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chip — for betting
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. spring — the season
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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