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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: key · swing · fan · bark · hand · bass · stock · chip

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stock — goods
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. swing — in golf
  7. key — in music
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. swing — music
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hand — help
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bass — the fish
  21. key — the most important part
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bass — low music
  24. stock — shares

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