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

Word bank: present · nail · face · race · chest · pop · chip · prune

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. chest — of your body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. race — a contest
  5. face — to confront
  6. present — the time now
  7. chest — a box
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. chip — for betting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. present — a gift
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. race — the arms race
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pop — soda
  20. present — there
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chest — of your body

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