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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. scale — size or range
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. scale — in music
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chip — to eat
  13. roll — a list
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pop — soda
  23. land — to come down
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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