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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. march — the month
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rest — a break
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tear — from crying
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chip — for betting
  17. march — the month
  18. rest — what's left
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. season — in sport

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