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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bat — the animal
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. board — to get on
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tube — a container
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chip — for betting
  17. board — a committee
  18. bass — low music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cabinet — ministers

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