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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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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: mate · mouse · cell · face · nail · wake · row · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cell — a phone
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cell — in biology
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. row — a line
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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