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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bore — to drill
  4. foot — a measure
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. chip — for betting
  8. charge — in control
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. charge — a price
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. charge — electricity
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. scale — size or range
  22. face — to confront
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. face — to point toward

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