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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: chip · net · file · season · mine · arm · bear · scale

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — of the year
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bear — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. file — a tool
  12. net — after costs
  13. mine — for digging
  14. chip — for betting
  15. season — in sport
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — in sport
  19. file — a document
  20. net — for catching
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bear — the animal

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