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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hand — in cards
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chip — to eat
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. ground — the earth
  11. track — a path
  12. hand — help
  13. track — a song
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — in sport
  17. ground — a position
  18. season — of the year

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