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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: content · tear · rash · cabinet · face · march · mine · chip

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. content — the amount
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. face — to confront
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. march — music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mine — for digging
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. march — the month
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. face — part of the head
  19. content — happy
  20. tear — to rip
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cabinet — ministers

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