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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bass — the fish
  4. file — a tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bass — low music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. file — a document
  18. squash — the vegetable

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