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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. hand — in cards
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hand — help
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. spring — a coil
  15. lie — to recline
  16. suit — in cards
  17. mine — for digging
  18. suit — to fit
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. spring — the season
  23. suit — clothes
  24. spring — of water

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