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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chip — for betting
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pop — music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. race — humankind
  14. scale — in music
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. race — a contest
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. snap — to click
  24. pop — soda

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