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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mark — a grade
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pit — a hole
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. season — of the year
  9. mark — a trace
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cue — a hint
  16. season — in sport
  17. pit — in a race
  18. band — a music group
  19. row — a line
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. band — a ring

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