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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cold — not warm
  5. swing — music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pop — soda
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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