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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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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 · pass · hide · race · squash · fork · game · chip

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. race — the arms race
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chip — for betting
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. face — to confront
  12. game — a match
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chip — to eat
  18. squash — the sport
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fork — in a road
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pass — a permit

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