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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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. scale — in music
  4. face — to confront
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chip — to eat
  11. face — to point toward
  12. clip — a video
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. scale — size or range
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — hurry
  24. prune — to trim

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