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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. chip — for betting
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. net — for catching
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. band — a ring
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wound — an injury
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. net — in sport
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. band — a music group
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. net — after costs
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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