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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. rest — a break
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chip — to eat
  10. net — in sport
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cue — for pool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — for betting
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. last — to go on

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