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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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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: wake · chip · saw · squash · pitch · fine · net · bass

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bass — low music
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. net — after costs
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fine — all right
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chip — for betting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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