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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. ground — a position
  6. file — a document
  7. ground — crushed
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fall — the season
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. file — a tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wake — a trail
  23. kick — in football
  24. chip — for betting

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