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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — to eat
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — a company
  9. land — ground
  10. pit — a hole
  11. tear — from crying
  12. firm — steady
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. shower — rain
  15. land — a country
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pit — in a race
  19. tear — to rip
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. land — to come down
  24. bat — the animal

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