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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. charge — electricity
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. spell — magic
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. shower — rain
  9. charge — a price
  10. spell — a short time
  11. club — a group
  12. shower — to wash
  13. can — a tin
  14. kid — to tease
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kid — child
  18. charge — in control
  19. spell — letters
  20. club — for dancing
  21. can — to be able to
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. club — for golf

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