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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pop — soda
  3. bore — to tire
  4. file — a line of people
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bass — the fish
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bass — low music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. tear — to rip
  14. file — a tool
  15. bore — to drill
  16. chip — for betting
  17. tear — from crying
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. pop — music
  21. file — a document
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — in traffic

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