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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · rash · cap · cell · mate · prune · chip · board

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rash — a series
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cap — a lid
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cap — a hat
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. chip — for betting
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. mate — to breed
  24. board — a flat piece

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