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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pop — music
  5. key — in music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pop — soda
  9. net — for catching
  10. chip — for betting
  11. club — a group
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tear — to rip
  19. club — for dancing
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — after costs
  23. club — for golf
  24. chip — to eat

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