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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. chest — a box
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. chip — in a computer

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