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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chip — to eat
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bass — low music
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bass — the fish
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. snap — to click
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chip — for betting
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mine — for digging
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mug — a face
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. shower — rain
  24. chip — in a computer

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