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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: wake · pop · bay · can · file · net · chip · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. net — after costs
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pop — soda
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. file — a tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. net — in sport
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pop — music
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mug — a cup
  21. file — a document
  22. chip — to eat
  23. can — a tin
  24. net — for catching

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