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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pop — music
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chip — to eat
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bound — obliged
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bound — certain
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pop — soda

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