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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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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bass — low music
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bat — the animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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