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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bat — the animal
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. race — the arms race
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chip — to eat
  17. foot — a measure
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. race — a contest
  20. pound — a weight
  21. race — humankind
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pound — for dogs

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