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

Word bank: track · chip · lie · cold · pit · toast · tear · wound

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pit — in a race
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wound — an injury
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. toast — bread
  13. tear — to rip
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. track — to keep track

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