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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. track — a song
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. track — a path
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. spring — the season
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. clip — a video
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spring — of water
  24. bowl — a dish

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