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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chip — for betting
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the fish
  5. march — music
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bank — for money
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bass — low music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bank — for money
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. snap — to click
  19. march — the month
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. scale — in music
  22. bank — of a river
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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