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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. last — final
  10. chip — to eat
  11. track — a path
  12. squash — to crush
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lean — thin
  15. last — to go on
  16. cold — an illness
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cold — not warm
  21. last — finally
  22. track — a song
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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