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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 · mug · chip · cell · lie · wake · bass · bowl

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bass — low music
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mug — a face
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mug — a cup
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rest — a break

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