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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. net — in sport
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. file — a line of people
  9. chip — to eat
  10. file — a document
  11. fall — to drop
  12. last — to go on
  13. file — a tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. last — final
  16. fall — the season
  17. net — for catching
  18. bass — low music
  19. chip — for betting
  20. last — finally
  21. net — after costs
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cell — a phone

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