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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · jam · leaves · rock · wound · net · chip · wind

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. chip — to eat
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rock — music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. net — for catching
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wind — moving air
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. wound — an injury
  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