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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. file — a document
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. swing — in golf
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. file — a tool
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. file — a line of people
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. game — a match
  20. swing — music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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