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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. kid — child
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. present — a gift
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. present — there
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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