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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. hand — help
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ball — a dance
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. squash — to crush
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bass — low music
  17. squash — the sport
  18. ball — a great time
  19. chest — a box
  20. sharp — clever
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chip — to eat

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