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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. roll — a cake
  4. spring — of water
  5. chip — for betting
  6. spring — the season
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bass — the fish
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. net — for catching
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mug — a face
  17. spring — a coil
  18. net — in sport
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kid — child
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. net — after costs
  24. roll — a list

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