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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: rest · deal · game · swing · hide · chip · bass · content

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. content — the amount
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. content — happy
  10. game — a match
  11. swing — in golf
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. swing — to play on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chip — to eat
  16. deal — to handle
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. chip — for betting
  19. rest — what's left
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rest — a break
  22. bass — the fish
  23. swing — music
  24. bass — low music

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