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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. land — ground
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. squash — the sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. squash — to crush
  13. land — to come down
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. land — a country
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. file — a tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lash — to lash out

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