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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. fall — the season
  3. spell — letters
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — music
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chip — to eat
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pop — soda
  12. spell — magic
  13. fall — to drop
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. spell — a short time
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mark — a grade
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fall — to drop

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