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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. club — for dancing
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wax — to grow
  6. season — in sport
  7. fine — high quality
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. club — for golf
  11. chip — to eat
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. object — an aim
  14. hand — in cards
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. object — to protest
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — help
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. club — a group
  24. object — a thing

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