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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — to wash
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wind — moving air
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. band — a ring
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. band — a music group
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. shower — rain
  24. leaves — of a tree

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