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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. field — a subject
  8. rash — a series
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. charge — a price
  13. cue — a signal
  14. field — for sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tear — from crying
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cue — a hint
  20. charge — in control
  21. tear — to rip
  22. field — farmland
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cue — for pool

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