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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. file — a tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rash — a series
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cap — a lid
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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