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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chip — to eat
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. last — finally
  13. cell — in biology
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. spring — of water
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kid — child
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. last — to go on
  21. kid — to tease
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chip — for betting
  24. last — final

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