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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bat — the animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. swing — to play on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wake — a trail
  10. swing — music
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bass — the fish
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — in golf
  20. chip — to eat
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chip — in a computer

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