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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: nail · row · bass · key · face · fall · wave · chip

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chip — for betting
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. key — for a lock
  13. face — part of the head
  14. row — a line
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. row — to paddle
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. key — the most important part
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. key — in music

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