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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — for digging
  5. net — for catching
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chest — a box
  9. chip — to eat
  10. net — after costs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. net — in sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. shower — rain

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