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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. key — the most important part
  3. march — the month
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. key — for a lock
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. key — in music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kick — in football
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wake — a trail

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