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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cold — an illness
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mug — to rob
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mug — a face
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mug — a cup
  16. band — a music group
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a ring
  23. cold — not warm
  24. chip — for betting

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