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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chip — to eat
  4. current — of water
  5. chip — for betting
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a song
  8. bass — low music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — of your body
  12. current — electric
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. chest — a box
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fall — the season
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. current — happening now
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. track — a path
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bass — the fish

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