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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mug — a face
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — to eat
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. track — a song
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mug — to rob
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. drill — army training
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. capital — a city
  19. season — of the year
  20. game — wild animals
  21. capital — money
  22. track — a path
  23. drill — the tool
  24. season — in sport

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