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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
468
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: chip · kid · game · bass · nail · lie · bear · track

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. track — to keep track
  6. game — a match
  7. track — a path
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — to recline
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bear — the animal
  17. track — a song
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bass — low music
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. kid — child

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