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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. land — ground
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kick — in football
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. land — to come down
  20. chair — a leader
  21. squash — the sport
  22. land — a country
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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