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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cold — an illness
  3. firm — decided
  4. cold — not warm
  5. field — a subject
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. club — a group
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. snap — to click
  11. craft — boats
  12. club — for dancing
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. field — farmland
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. firm — a company
  17. chip — to eat
  18. field — for sport
  19. firm — steady
  20. chip — for betting
  21. club — for golf
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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