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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chip — to eat
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. track — a song
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. track — a path
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. squash — the sport
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chip — for betting
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cold — not warm

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