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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to click
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pop — soda
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. chest — a box
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bass — low music
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pop — music

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