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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. tube — the underground
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. tube — a container
  15. chip — for betting
  16. track — a song
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chip — to eat

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