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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: file · mark · content · chip · mine · deal · present · bass

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mine — for digging
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. file — a document
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. present — a gift
  11. bass — low music
  12. present — there
  13. content — the amount
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. content — happy
  17. file — a line of people
  18. present — the time now
  19. mark — a trace
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bass — the fish
  22. file — a tool
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mine — an explosive

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