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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. track — a path
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spring — of water
  8. cap — of ice
  9. spring — the season
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. track — to keep track
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cap — a hat
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. scale — size or range
  22. track — a song
  23. chip — to eat
  24. scale — in music

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