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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mug — a face
  4. bass — low music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mug — a cup
  11. court — of law
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chip — to eat
  15. row — a line
  16. bound — certain
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. court — of a king
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. court — for sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bass — the fish

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