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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. scale — in music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. staff — employees
  5. bass — low music
  6. staff — a stick
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chip — to eat
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. game — wild animals
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. game — a match
  16. bass — the fish
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stand — to bear
  24. chip — for betting

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