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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. snap — to click
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bass — low music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. march — music
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. march — the month
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bark — to shout
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bass — the fish
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. march — the month

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