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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. chip — for betting
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chair — a leader
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. squash — to crush
  10. tube — the underground
  11. row — a line
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. tube — a container
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. row — to paddle

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