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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. chip — for betting
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wound — an injury
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. swing — music
  14. key — in music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. hand — in cards
  18. swing — in golf
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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