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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bound — obliged
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bound — certain
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cap — a hat
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cue — a hint
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — the animal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cap — a lid
  22. file — a document
  23. chip — to eat
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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