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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. chest — a box
  2. chip — for betting
  3. tear — from crying
  4. saw — the tool
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chip — to eat
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chest — of your body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. can — to be able to
  18. tear — from crying
  19. last — finally
  20. chest — of your body
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  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