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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cue — a hint
  3. chip — for betting
  4. land — ground
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cue — for pool
  9. land — to come down
  10. bass — low music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stand — to bear
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. land — a country
  24. pitcher — a jug

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