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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. board — a committee
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. suit — to fit
  5. saw — the tool
  6. suit — in cards
  7. land — to come down
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. land — ground
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chip — for betting
  14. land — a country
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — to get on
  18. suit — clothes
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to sink
  24. chip — in a computer

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