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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rock — music
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. file — a document
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bore — to drill
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. file — a tool
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. tube — the underground
  20. file — a line of people
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — in a computer

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