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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chip — to eat
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pop — soda
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bass — low music
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pop — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bass — the fish
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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