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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bass — low music
  7. chip — to eat
  8. club — a group
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. face — to point toward
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wound — an injury
  18. club — for golf
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chip — for betting
  21. current — electric
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. degree — temperature
  24. face — to confront

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