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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chip — to eat
  3. land — ground
  4. squash — to crush
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lean — to bend
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — help
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lean — thin
  19. land — a country
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. suit — clothes
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. land — to come down

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