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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mug — a face
  3. bass — low music
  4. hand — help
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mug — to rob
  11. deal — to handle
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chip — for betting
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mug — a cup
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rash — a series
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bass — the fish
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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