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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pop — soda
  5. mate — a friend
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pop — to visit
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chip — to eat
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mate — a partner
  20. hand — help
  21. pop — music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mine — an explosive

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