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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. object — a thing
  2. toast — bread
  3. chip — to eat
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. scale — in music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — an aim
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cold — an illness
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. object — to protest
  17. chip — for betting
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cold — not warm
  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