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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. track — a song
  3. fine — high quality
  4. swing — to play on
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. track — a path
  13. chip — for betting
  14. swing — music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fine — all right
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chip — to eat
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wake — a trail
  23. swing — in golf
  24. fine — a penalty

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