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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: track · chest · degree · bass · chip · swing · nail · last

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. chest — a box
  10. track — to keep track
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. degree — from a university
  15. swing — to play on
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. track — a song
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. swing — music
  21. last — final
  22. chip — for betting
  23. degree — an amount
  24. track — a path

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