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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 116 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. chip — in a computer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mug — a face
  5. track — a song
  6. mug — a cup
  7. track — a path
  8. rash — a series
  9. swing — to play on
  10. march — the month
  11. chip — to eat
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. march — the month
  15. swing — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. march — music
  22. mug — to rob
  23. swing — in golf
  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