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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fine — high quality
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. march — the month
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. march — music
  20. race — humankind
  21. fine — all right
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mine — belonging to me

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