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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · shower · track · chip · roll · bat · pop · dip

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. track — to keep track
  4. can — a tin
  5. pop — soda
  6. shower — rain
  7. dip — to sink
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. can — a tin
  10. track — a path
  11. pop — music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. roll — a list
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pop — to visit
  16. track — a song
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bat — the animal
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. roll — a cake
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chip — to eat

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