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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. season — in sport
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. foot — a measure
  15. tear — to rip
  16. season — of the year
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rest — a break
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chip — for betting
  22. fine — all right
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rest — what's left

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