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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pop — soda
  3. chip — to eat
  4. file — a tool
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — to visit
  7. march — the month
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. can — a tin
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. can — to be able to
  14. file — a document
  15. rock — music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pop — music
  18. march — music
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tube — a container
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. file — a line of people
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chip — for betting

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