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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: rush · land · sharp · cue · chip · wind · face · bound

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. sharp — clever
  3. land — a country
  4. bound — tied together
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bound — certain
  7. chip — to eat
  8. face — to confront
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. land — to come down
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. land — ground
  24. rush — to hurry

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