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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mate — a friend
  5. court — of law
  6. file — a tool
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. file — a line of people
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fall — the season
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a ring
  19. file — a document
  20. court — for sport
  21. band — a music group
  22. fall — to drop
  23. present — there
  24. court — of a king

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