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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chest — a box
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rash — a series
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bound — tied together
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a list

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