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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lean — to bend
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pit — in a race
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. lean — thin
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. scale — in music
  24. chip — in a computer

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