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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. file — a tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. firm — decided
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cold — an illness
  12. file — a line of people
  13. firm — a company
  14. spring — the season
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spring — of water
  19. chip — to eat
  20. firm — steady
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cold — not warm
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. file — a document

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