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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cap — a hat
  10. squash — to crush
  11. roll — a list
  12. swing — to play on
  13. band — a music group
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chip — for betting
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. swing — music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a ring
  24. squash — the vegetable

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