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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. pitch — completely
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hand — in cards
  7. chip — for betting
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. firm — a company
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. chest — a box
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. hand — help
  17. mate — to breed
  18. race — a contest
  19. mate — a friend
  20. firm — decided
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. firm — steady
  24. chip — in a computer

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