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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 116 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: fork · bat · deal · leaves · mine · chip · shower · content

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. deal — to handle
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. chip — for betting
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bat — the animal
  14. content — happy
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fork — in a road
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chip — to eat
  22. content — the amount
  23. shower — rain
  24. fork — a garden tool

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