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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. prune — to trim
  7. suit — to fit
  8. hand — help
  9. suit — in cards
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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