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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 · pop · bass · stick · snap · file · straw · foot

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chip — for betting
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pop — soda
  9. file — a tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pop — music
  15. file — a document
  16. foot — a measure
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bass — the fish
  19. snap — to click
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — low music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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