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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: face · chip · date · bat · craft · mark · game · rush

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. date — the fruit
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. face — part of the head
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. craft — boats
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. craft — a skill
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. game — a match
  21. rush — hurry
  22. face — to confront
  23. mark — a grade
  24. date — on the calendar

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