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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wound — an injury
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bound — certain
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. shower — rain
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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