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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cue — a signal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — the animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pop — to visit
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. key — the most important part
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. pop — soda
  20. shower — to wash
  21. file — a document
  22. pop — music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bat — for baseball

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