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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. swing — in golf
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mug — a face
  5. rule — a law
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. swing — music
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rule — government
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. roll — a list
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bass — low music

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