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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 · racket · chip · land · jam · file · hand · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. can — to be able to
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. can — a tin
  5. land — a country
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chip — to eat
  13. hand — help
  14. land — ground
  15. chip — for betting
  16. file — a document
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. can — a tin
  24. chip — in a computer

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