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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 120 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 · cold · bore · lie · deal · sharp · march · face

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bore — to tire
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. sharp — clever
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. face — to confront
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. deal — to handle
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cold — not warm
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — to eat
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. march — music

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