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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. key — for a lock
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — help
  11. chip — to eat
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. key — the most important part
  17. tear — to rip
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mine — for digging
  20. key — in music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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