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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. plane — a tool
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. row — a line
  10. chip — for betting
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chip — to eat
  16. season — of the year
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bass — low music
  19. season — in sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — the fish
  24. row — a quarrel

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