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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. swing — to play on
  5. net — for catching
  6. chip — for betting
  7. ball — a dance
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rash — a series
  10. kid — child
  11. swing — music
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. rash — hasty
  16. file — a tool
  17. net — in sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. chip — to eat
  21. kid — to tease
  22. net — after costs
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ball — a round shape

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