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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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Word bank
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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: mine · chip · arm · track · rest · wound · ground · foot

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rest — a break
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. track — a path
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. track — a song
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — a position
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rest — what's left
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. foot — a measure
  24. chip — to eat

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