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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rock — music
  5. last — finally
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — child
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fine — all right
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. last — final
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cap — a lid
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. last — to go on

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