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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. ground — a position
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chip — to eat
  8. ball — a great time
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ground — crushed
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. ground — the earth
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. kid — child
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stand — to bear
  24. ball — a round shape

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