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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: net · rock · fall · chip · jam · squash · spring · pop

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. spring — of water
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pop — soda
  5. spring — the season
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rock — music
  9. net — in sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. fall — the season
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. net — for catching
  21. rock — a stone
  22. net — after costs
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pop — music

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