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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. firm — a company
  3. net — after costs
  4. band — a music group
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. net — for catching
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. band — a ring
  14. firm — steady
  15. net — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chip — for betting
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bank — for money
  24. firm — decided

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