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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wax — to grow
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. season — of the year
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — a group
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. club — for golf
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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