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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bass — the fish
  7. clip — for paper
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. dip — to sink
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. firm — decided
  17. bass — low music
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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