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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chip — for betting
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. date — the fruit
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wax — to grow
  19. tear — to rip
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lie — to recline
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. date — on the calendar

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