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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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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: chip · file · snap · bat · bound · mug · tube · scale

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mug — to rob
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mug — a cup
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mug — a face
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bound — certain
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bat — the animal
  15. file — a document
  16. tube — a container
  17. bound — tied together
  18. file — a line of people
  19. scale — size or range
  20. tube — the underground
  21. scale — in music
  22. file — a tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. scale — for weighing

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