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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bat — the animal
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. scale — size or range
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. scale — in music
  10. snap — to click
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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