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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chip — for betting
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cold — an illness
  5. staff — a stick
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. tear — from crying
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cold — not warm
  23. staff — employees
  24. chip — to eat

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