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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. key — for a lock
  3. club — for golf
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. key — in music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chip — in a computer

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