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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — a break
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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