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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chip — to eat
  5. file — a tool
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. file — a line of people
  10. roll — a list
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. roll — a cake
  16. content — the amount
  17. file — a document
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. craft — boats
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. content — happy
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bat — in an idiom

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