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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chip — for betting
  3. mark — a grade
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — in music
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wound — an injury
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ground — a position
  17. march — the month
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mark — a trace
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. game — a match
  24. march — music

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