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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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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a tool
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pop — soda
  6. chip — to eat
  7. file — a document
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pop — to visit
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pop — music
  24. squash — to crush

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