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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rock — a stone
  6. foot — a measure
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wound — an injury
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. chip — to eat
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rock — music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wound — an injury
  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