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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. press — to push
  9. file — a tool
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. shower — rain
  13. rush — hurry
  14. march — music
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. file — a line of people
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. march — the month
  20. press — newspapers
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — to wash
  23. file — a document
  24. bass — the instrument

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