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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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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: pop · chip · march · bowl · bay · key · cell · foot

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cell — a phone
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chip — to eat
  12. key — in music
  13. march — music
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pop — music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chip — for betting
  23. key — the most important part
  24. foot — the bottom

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