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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. land — ground
  3. bass — the fish
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mug — to rob
  7. land — a country
  8. mug — a face
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tube — a container
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chip — for betting
  16. saw — the tool
  17. date — the fruit
  18. saw — the tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tube — the underground
  23. land — to come down
  24. mug — a cup

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