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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pass — a permit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ground — a position
  8. chip — for betting
  9. clip — to cut
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ground — the earth
  12. net — in sport
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ground — crushed
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. face — to point toward
  17. net — after costs
  18. clip — a video
  19. net — for catching
  20. chip — to eat
  21. face — to confront
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fan — a supporter

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