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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. root — the cause
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. root — of a plant
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — not warm
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chip — to eat
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. root — of a word
  20. fine — all right
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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