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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. court — for sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. court — of law
  15. wake — a trail
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cell — a phone
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. court — of a king
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wake — before a funeral

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