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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: row · bay · chip · bat · cold · bass · racket · face

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bass — the fish
  8. row — a line
  9. chip — to eat
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bass — low music
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cold — an illness
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. face — to confront
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. chip — in a computer

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