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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. rest — a break
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stand — to bear
  5. craft — boats
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mate — to breed
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hand — help
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. chip — to eat
  24. tear — from crying

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