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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hand — in cards
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cap — a hat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hand — help
  13. cue — a hint
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cue — for pool
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — employees
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lie — to recline
  22. tear — to rip
  23. staff — employees
  24. lie — an untruth

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