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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. spell — magic
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. object — to protest
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. spell — letters
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. key — in music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bass — low music
  18. object — an aim
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bass — the fish
  23. object — a thing
  24. row — a line

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