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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · arm · face · court · rock · chip · pitcher · spell

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chip — to eat
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. court — of law
  10. spell — letters
  11. court — of a king
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rock — a stone
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. court — for sport
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rock — music
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. face — to confront
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spell — magic

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