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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. firm — a company
  6. file — a line of people
  7. plane — a tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. file — a tool
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chip — to eat
  13. firm — decided
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. roll — a list
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. shower — rain
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. file — a document
  23. firm — steady
  24. plane — in geometry

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