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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · swing · hand · fall · nail · bass · sharp · staff

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. hand — in cards
  6. swing — in golf
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — for betting
  10. hand — help
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. swing — to play on
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. chip — to eat
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. sharp — clever
  22. staff — employees
  23. bass — low music
  24. staff — employees

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