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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bass — low music
  8. key — in music
  9. hand — help
  10. chip — to eat
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. swing — music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bass — the fish
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — in cards
  20. track — a path
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. swing — in golf
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bass — the instrument

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