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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bound — certain
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mug — to rob
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stand — to bear

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