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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cue — a hint
  3. chip — to eat
  4. net — for catching
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fine — all right
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — a gift
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bank — for money
  15. ground — a position
  16. cap — of ice
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bank — for money
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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