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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. hand — in cards
  5. scale — in music
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mug — a face
  11. stand — to bear
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fine — all right
  14. mug — a cup
  15. hand — help
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chip — for betting
  18. court — for sport
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. court — of a king
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cold — not warm
  24. court — of law

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