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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rest — a break
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cap — of ice
  5. firm — steady
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pop — soda
  10. hand — help
  11. firm — decided
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. hand — in cards
  18. firm — a company
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pop — music

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