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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: bat · content · leaves · bass · swing · chip · root · straw

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. root — the cause
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bass — low music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. swing — music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. root — of a plant
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bat — the animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. swing — to play on
  19. content — happy
  20. root — of a word
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bat — in an idiom

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