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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. drill — army training
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. scale — in music
  7. face — to confront
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. scale — size or range
  15. face — to point toward
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pound — a weight
  20. drill — a practice
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. drill — the tool
  24. face — part of the head

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