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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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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: wind · rule · firm · drill · chip · face · shower · mate

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rule — government
  5. mate — to breed
  6. drill — army training
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chip — to eat
  10. firm — a company
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. firm — steady
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mate — a partner
  15. drill — the tool
  16. firm — decided
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. rule — a law
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mate — a friend
  23. face — to confront
  24. drill — a practice

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