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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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. arm — part of the body
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bound — certain
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — tied together
  21. toast — bread
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. toast — the most admired

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