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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. field — for sport
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. prune — to trim
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. prune — to trim
  11. toast — bread
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chip — to eat
  15. field — farmland
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tear — to rip
  20. plane — a tool
  21. field — a subject
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. squash — to crush
  24. toast — the most admired

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