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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bass — low music
  5. cap — a lid
  6. date — the fruit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. object — a thing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. club — for dancing
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cap — of ice
  15. object — to protest
  16. bass — the fish
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. object — an aim
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chip — to eat
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. club — a group
  24. cap — a hat

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