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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bass — low music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cold — not warm
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bass — the fish
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cold — an illness
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rash — hasty
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rock — a stone
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rock — 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