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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. key — the most important part
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rock — music
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chest — a box
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rock — to move gently

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