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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hand — help
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hand — in cards
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. band — a ring
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stand — to bear
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ball — a great time
  21. band — a music group
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chip — in a computer

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