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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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468
Word bank
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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. key — in music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — in music
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chip — for betting
  16. key — the most important part
  17. drill — the tool
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — army training

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