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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chip — to eat
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lean — thin
  18. game — a match
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. lean — to bend
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lean — to rest against

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