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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. swing — in golf
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mine — for digging
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mate — to breed
  16. row — a line
  17. mate — a friend
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chip — for betting
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. swing — music
  24. prune — to trim

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