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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bass — low music
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. snap — to click
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. drill — a practice
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. drill — army training
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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