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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 · rash · bass · snap · sharp · chip · cell · bear

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rest — a break
  3. bass — low music
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. snap — to click
  9. rash — a series
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cell — in biology
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rest — what's left
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. chip — for betting
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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