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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: rule · face · straw · bay · bass · chip · game · band

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rule — a law
  4. chip — for betting
  5. face — to confront
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. game — wild animals
  8. face — to point toward
  9. band — a music group
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. face — part of the head
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bass — low music
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rule — government
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. band — a ring
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. game — a match

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