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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. roll — a list
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. craft — boats
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. roll — a cake
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — for betting
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mouse — for 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