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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chip — for betting
  3. rash — hasty
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. file — a document
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mark — a trace
  19. file — a line of people
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rash — a series
  23. file — a tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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