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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. season — in sport
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ground — the earth
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. season — of the year
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wax — to grow
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. ground — a position
  20. shower — rain
  21. plane — a tool
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chip — to eat
  24. plane — an aircraft

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