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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. suit — clothes
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. net — in sport
  10. pop — soda
  11. bank — for money
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pop — music
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rash — a series
  18. bank — of a river
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. net — after costs
  22. bank — for money
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rash — hasty

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