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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: face · chip · foot · drill · temple · present · season · sharp

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. present — there
  4. season — of the year
  5. present — a gift
  6. drill — army training
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chip — to eat
  11. face — to point toward
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. season — in sport
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. foot — a measure
  19. chip — for betting
  20. drill — a practice
  21. present — the time now
  22. face — part of the head
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. season — to add flavour

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