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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: deal · rock · wound · chip · bay · can · roll · cap

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. roll — a list
  9. can — a tin
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. can — a tin
  13. rock — music
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cap — a lid
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wound — an injury
  20. roll — a cake
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rock — a stone
  23. deal — to handle
  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