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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 116 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 · bass · bark · degree · last · pass · shower · wind

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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 — for betting
  2. degree — from a university
  3. shower — rain
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. last — finally
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. last — final
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bass — the fish
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wind — moving air
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. last — to go on
  19. pass — a permit
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bass — low music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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