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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. mug — a face
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lean — to bend
  9. vault — a safe
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mug — a cup
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mine — for digging

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