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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spell — magic
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lie — to recline
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chip — to eat
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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