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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chest — a box
  4. squash — the sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. can — a tin
  10. bank — for money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chest — of your body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — to crush
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. sharp — clever
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. can — a tin
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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