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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. spell — a short time
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bank — of a river
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bank — for money
  10. bass — low music
  11. lie — to recline
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bank — for money
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — rain
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. snap — to click
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bowl — a football final

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