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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cold — not warm
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. rock — music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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