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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rush — hurry
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cell — in biology
  11. row — a line
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. row — to paddle
  18. club — for golf
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lean — to bend
  23. squash — to crush
  24. club — for dancing

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