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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fine — all right
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. band — a music group
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. file — a line of people
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. chip — for betting
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fine — high quality
  19. file — a document
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. file — a tool
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. scale — in music
  24. calf — a young animal

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