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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: chip · swing · mark · deal · hide · straw · drill · bass

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bass — the fish
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. drill — a practice
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. swing — in golf
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mark — a trace
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. drill — the tool
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mark — a grade
  18. swing — music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chip — for betting
  23. deal — to handle
  24. drill — army training

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