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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. game — wild animals
  3. face — part of the head
  4. game — a match
  5. chip — for betting
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. firm — decided
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mine — for digging
  13. content — the amount
  14. firm — steady
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. content — happy
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — to confront
  24. chip — to eat

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