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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mug — a face
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mug — a cup
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mug — to rob
  12. ground — a position
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cold — an illness
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mouse — for a computer

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