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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pound — a weight
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. can — a tin
  7. bat — the animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. track — to keep track
  12. file — a tool
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. track — a path
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. season — of the year
  17. file — a line of people
  18. season — in sport
  19. sharp — clever
  20. file — a document
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chip — to eat
  23. track — a song
  24. can — to be able to

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