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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. can — a tin
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bank — for money
  9. game — a match
  10. clip — a video
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bat — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bank — of a river
  16. clip — for paper
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — to eat
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bass — the fish
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bank — for money
  24. bass — low music

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