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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bat — the animal
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bass — low music
  8. chip — to eat
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bark — to shout
  16. game — a match
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. sharp — exactly

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