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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bound — tied together
  6. squash — the sport
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — bread
  9. squash — to crush
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wound — an injury
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — certain

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