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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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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 · pound · bass · fork · cue · plane · snap · track

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cue — for pool
  7. track — a path
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bass — low music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. track — a song
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fork — in a road
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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