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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fine — all right
  3. can — to be able to
  4. file — a document
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. file — a tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chip — for betting
  15. can — a tin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bass — low music
  24. can — a tin

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