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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — low music
  5. chip — for betting
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pop — music
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — soda
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cue — a signal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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