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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. hand — help
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. lean — thin
  16. current — of water
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. current — happening now
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. current — electric
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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