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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bank — for money
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. charge — a price
  8. cold — an illness
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. charge — in control
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. charge — electricity
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bank — of a river
  19. snap — to click
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chip — for betting

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