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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. plane — a tool
  3. scale — in music
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. capital — a city
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chip — for betting
  14. capital — money
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. squash — the sport
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. squash — to crush
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. scale — size or range
  24. hide — animal skin

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