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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. scale — size or range
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. net — in sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bound — tied together
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pop — to visit
  16. net — after costs
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. net — for catching
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. scale — in music

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