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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. 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. game — a match
  2. chip — to eat
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. charge — in control
  9. ground — a position
  10. charge — electricity
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. charge — a price
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chip — for betting
  15. ground — crushed
  16. race — humankind
  17. deal — to handle
  18. race — the arms race
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ground — the earth
  21. race — a contest
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. 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