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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — a match
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. season — in sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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