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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 120 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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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: bay · squash · mouse · fine · wind · arm · chip · cold

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fine — all right
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fine — high quality
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cold — an illness
  24. arm — a part of something

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