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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rash — a series
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. file — a document
  8. bound — obliged
  9. squash — to crush
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bound — certain
  13. file — a line of people
  14. saw — the tool
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. file — a tool
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. squash — the sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. chip — for betting

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