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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. club — a group
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. club — for dancing
  6. file — a document
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. face — to confront
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. file — a tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. season — of the year
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pitch — completely
  16. club — for golf
  17. face — to point toward
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. face — part of the head
  23. season — in sport
  24. file — a line of people

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