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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: chip · field · craft · face · nail · rule · chest · mine

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. field — farmland
  4. face — to point toward
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rule — government
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. craft — boats
  12. field — for sport
  13. chip — for betting
  14. field — a subject
  15. chest — a box
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rule — a law
  18. craft — a skill
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mine — for digging
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. face — to confront
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mine — an explosive

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