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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. squash — to crush
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. race — humankind
  6. staff — a stick
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. staff — employees
  11. game — a match
  12. race — a contest
  13. staff — employees
  14. key — in music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. race — the arms race
  17. shower — rain
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. key — the most important part
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. key — for a lock
  22. scale — in music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. scale — size or range

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