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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 116 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: key · object · mine · face · press · cell · chip · bowl

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. key — for a lock
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chip — for betting
  7. object — a thing
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. key — in music
  10. object — to protest
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cell — in biology
  17. key — the most important part
  18. press — newspapers
  19. object — an aim
  20. face — to confront
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. press — to push

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