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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chip — to eat
  3. court — for sport
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mug — a face
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mug — a cup
  10. file — a tool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. court — of a king
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. spell — magic
  17. court — of law
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spell — letters
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. file — a document

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