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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bass — the fish
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. net — in sport
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rash — hasty
  14. game — a match
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. bass — low music
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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