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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mug — a face
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stem — to come from
  9. snap — to click
  10. chip — to eat
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mug — a cup
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. shower — rain
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. track — a path
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mug — to rob

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