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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. drill — army training
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. shower — rain
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cap — a hat
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lie — to recline
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cap — of ice

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