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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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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tear — to rip
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chip — for betting
  8. club — for dancing
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bass — low music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. land — a country
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. land — to come down
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. land — ground
  21. chip — to eat
  22. club — for golf
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — a group

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