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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. chip — for betting
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. track — a path
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pop — to visit
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pop — music
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. chip — to eat
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. saw — the tool

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