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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fine — high quality
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fine — all right
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hand — help
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pound — a weight
  24. hand — part of the body

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