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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mug — to rob
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. row — to paddle
  7. shower — to wash
  8. row — a line
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mug — a cup
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. shower — rain
  16. kid — child
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mug — a face
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stem — to come from

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