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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. tear — to rip
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. can — a tin
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tear — from crying
  16. row — a line
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. row — to paddle
  19. prune — to trim
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mine — an explosive

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