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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pop — music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cell — in biology
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bass — low music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. vault — a safe
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pop — soda
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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