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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. ground — crushed
  3. track — a song
  4. roll — a cake
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — the animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. roll — a list
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rash — a series
  18. track — a path
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rash — on the skin

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