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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. march — the month
  3. game — a match
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. march — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. scale — size or range
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. band — a ring
  14. bore — to tire
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rush — hurry
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chip — for betting
  19. scale — in music
  20. march — the month
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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