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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bank — for money
  3. pop — music
  4. cap — a lid
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bank — for money
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cap — a hat
  13. tube — the underground
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chip — for betting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pop — soda

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