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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: march · key · face · lie · firm · chip · degree · saw

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lie — to recline
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — from a university
  7. face — to point toward
  8. march — the month
  9. degree — temperature
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. face — part of the head
  12. firm — steady
  13. march — music
  14. face — to confront
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chip — to eat
  18. key — the most important part
  19. degree — an amount
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. key — in music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. firm — a company

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