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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 124 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chest — a box
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rock — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — of your body

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