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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kid — child
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bass — low music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chip — for betting
  13. saw — the tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wax — to grow
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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