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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chip — for betting
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. clip — a video
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. spell — letters
  15. clip — to cut
  16. branch — a division
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spell — a short time
  19. degree — an amount
  20. face — to confront
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. face — to point toward
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chip — to eat

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