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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the sport
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chip — for betting
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pop — soda
  9. cell — a phone
  10. hand — help
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pop — to visit
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pop — music
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cell — in biology
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cell — in a prison

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