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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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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. hand — help
  11. bass — low music
  12. chip — for betting
  13. fine — high quality
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wind — moving air

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