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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  3. rash — hasty
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. rash — a series
  12. lean — to bend
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lean — thin
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. band — a music group
  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