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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chip — to eat
  3. present — there
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. present — a gift
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rash — a series
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stock — shares
  17. row — a line
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bass — low music
  20. stock — goods
  21. present — the time now
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. row — to paddle

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