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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. swing — music
  3. bank — for money
  4. chip — for betting
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bank — for money
  8. shower — to wash
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. deal — to handle
  17. swing — to play on
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. field — for sport
  24. shower — rain

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