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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. file — a document
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. present — the time now
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. present — a gift
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. file — a tool
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chip — to eat
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. present — there
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — the fish
  21. spell — letters
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. spell — magic

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