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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: game · face · object · tear · bear · bat · chip · temple

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. tear — from crying
  3. game — wild animals
  4. object — a thing
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bat — the animal
  8. game — a match
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. object — an aim
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bear — the animal
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tear — to rip
  24. object — to protest

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