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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mug — to rob
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. mug — a cup
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. face — part of the head
  9. squash — to crush
  10. face — to confront
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. spring — the season
  14. root — of a word
  15. game — wild animals
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mug — a face
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. chip — to eat
  20. game — a match
  21. spring — of water
  22. squash — the sport
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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