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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. drill — the tool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. net — in sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. drill — army training
  7. net — for catching
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. game — a match
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. face — part of the head
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spring — a coil
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lean — thin
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. net — after costs
  20. game — wild animals
  21. tube — a container
  22. face — to confront
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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