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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: bark · row · bass · chip · net · cue · rest · coach

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chip — for betting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cue — a hint
  9. net — for catching
  10. cue — a signal
  11. net — after costs
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rest — a break
  24. net — in sport

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