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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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 — to eat
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pop — soda
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. net — after costs
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pop — music
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pop — to visit
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. net — in sport
  20. cell — a phone
  21. net — for catching
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bear — the animal
  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