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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mug — a face
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mine — for digging
  13. club — a group
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. scale — in music
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. lean — thin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. club — for golf
  24. mug — to rob

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