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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. chip — in a computer
  2. last — final
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bass — low music
  5. hand — in cards
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. last — to go on
  9. drill — army training
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. can — to be able to
  13. drill — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. fall — the season
  20. hand — help
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — finally
  23. hand — part of the body
  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