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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — to shout
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. squash — to crush
  23. patient — a sick person
  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