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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chip — for betting
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rash — a series
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rash — hasty
  14. tear — from crying
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bass — low music
  20. tear — to rip
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mouse — the animal

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