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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · face · cold · rush · bass · chip · bat · bear

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bear — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. face — to confront
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bass — low music
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bass — the instrument

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