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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 · land · nail · march · mug · face · fork · chip

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. face — part of the head
  3. chip — for betting
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. face — to confront
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. land — to come down
  8. chip — to eat
  9. land — a country
  10. march — the month
  11. land — ground
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mug — a face
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. game — a match
  17. face — to point toward
  18. march — music
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. game — a kind of play

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