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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spring — of water
  8. row — to paddle
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spring — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mug — to rob
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rest — a break
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitch — completely
  22. row — a line
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wound — an injury

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