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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bank — for money
  11. content — happy
  12. row — a line
  13. bank — for money
  14. rest — a break
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. content — the amount
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bank — of a river

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