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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bass — the fish
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spell — magic
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chip — for betting
  12. shower — to wash
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. shower — rain
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ground — a position
  19. spell — letters
  20. cap — a lid
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bass — low music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cap — of ice

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