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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: chip · degree · plane · squash · bass · snap · file · face

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bass — the fish
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. degree — from a university
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chip — for betting
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. snap — to click
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. degree — temperature
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bass — low music
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. degree — an amount
  18. squash — to crush
  19. face — to point toward
  20. plane — a tool
  21. file — a tool
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a document
  24. chip — to eat

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