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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. tear — to rip
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. chip — to eat
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pitch — completely
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chip — for betting

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